Grain bin



Dec. 20, 1932. c. J. CARTER GRAIN BIN Filed March 8, 1929 ATTORNEYPatented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES earns CHARLES J. CARTER, OF KANSASCITY, MISSOURI GRAIN BIN Application filed March 8,

Myinvention relates to bins and more particularly to grain bin units ofknock-down character adapted to be associated with other units forconstructing bins of various sizes,

' the principal objects of the invention being to facilitate theerection of grain bins, to provide for the use of relatively plentifuland easily obtainable material for the erection of bins, to securelyconnect the wall members of a bin by means assuring the accuratealignment of wall members and sealing engagement of adjacent wallmembers, and to provide bin members which may be accurately and securelyassembled with relatively small labor and exercise of skill.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a bin constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective view of end portions ofabutting wall strips at a bin corner and illustrating a clamping memberinserted in registering kerfs of the strips for connecting the walls.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a corner portion of a bin includingportions of strips 0 shown in Fig.2 and similar portions of stripsmounted thereon and connected by the upwardly projecting end of theclamp mem- Fig. 4 is a cross section adjacent the upper edge of thestrip portions shown in Fig. 2, illustrating the manner in which theclamp binds the end of one strip to the side of an adjacent strip.

Referring in detail to the drawing:

1 designates generally a bin comprising vertical walls difierentiatedfor convenience as a side wall 2 and an end wall 3, and a floor 1-, and5 sills laid on edge for supporting a bin above the surface of theground, the structure illustrating an example of an enclosure which maybe formed by the use p of my invention.

I contemplate using boards or strips of uniform length, preferably 2 X 4lumber six feet long, because of the availability of such 1929. SerialNo. 345,412.

material at relatively low prices, for forming both the floor and wallsof the bin, special features such as kerfs formed in boards adapted foruse in the walls not interfering with the utility of the boards for usein the floor. The production, distribution, purchase, and installationof the material for the bins are thus greately simplified, since thestrips for floors and walls may be exactly alike, and are moreeconomical when exactly alike.

Strips 6 comprising the floor have grooves or recesses 7 in onelongitudinal edge and tongues 8 on the opposite edge adapted tov seat inthe grooves of adjacent strips, said edges being preferably transverselyarcuate and respectively concave and convex for forming the grooves 7and tongues 8, whereby the strips may be brought into snug en- 9gagement with each other to form a relatively sealed and tight floor.

The walls are formed of a plurality of similar strips 9 and the endwalls of like strips 10, the two sets of strips being differentlydesignated for convenience in describing the structure, and each havinga concave longitudinal lower edge 11 and a convex upper edge 12 wherebyone strip may be snugly engaged with and mounted on a lower stripandwill be relatively securely latched against sidewise displacement and inalignment therewith.

The tapering crowns of the strips tend to prevent water from movingbetween adj acent -v strips, and the taperingly grooved lower 85 edgesof superimposed strips provide margins overlapping the upper edges ofsupporting strips to conduct Water past the oint.

End kerfs 13 are provided in the ends of;- each strip 6, 9 and 10extending vertically parallel with the vertical corners or a-rris edges14 and 15 of the ends, and transverse side kerfs 16 and 17 are formed inthe sides of the strips adjacent the ends thereof and spaced from thecorners 1 1 and 15 similarly to the spacing of the end kerfs from saidcorners. Kerfs in abutting surfaces of adj ac .it and abutting strips inany relation may be brought into registry to receive a connecting member18 presently described. A kerf in the side surface of a horizontal sidewall member may for example be brought into registry with the end kerfof a horizontal end wall member extending in the same plane as andabutting the side surface of the side wall member at the end thereof, toreceive a connecting member.

The bottom strips of the walls are mounted on the floor in abuttingrelation to form corners, and the clamps 18 are insertable in the upperends of the registering kerfs to bind the abutting portions of adjacentwall strips together.

The clamp 13 preferably used comprises a key or staple-like nail havinga web like body portion 19 and wing-like tapering flanges or grippingmembers 520 on each edge .of the web .at right angles thereto, havingsharp edges 21, the web portion being relatively freely movable in thekerfs and the Wings being adapted to enter the wood at right angles tothe kerfs to latch the opposite wings respectively in the abuttingportions of ad acent strips and thus chp or bmd the two strips securelytogether.

The kerfs preferably have su'ificient depth so that the outer faces ofthe wings may have clearance from the bottoms of the kerfs when theclamps are mounted in abutting strips, the wing faces extendinglaterally right angularly to the webs. I preferably, however, provideclamps havmg sides dlverging downwardly as shown in Fig. 3 so that theupper ends 22 of the clamps are narrower than the spacing of the bottomsof registering kerfs when the abutting strip ends are in snug engagementwhereby a clamp being driven into the abutting strips will tend to drawthe strips together.

The upper end of each clamp may project above the upper edges ofabutting strips to receive the superimposed strips and latchingly engagein the kerfs thereof to connect the superimposed strips with each otherand 'frictionally latch the superimposed strips to the lower strips.

The bin may be provided with a suitable outlet 23 including preferably adoor 24:

adapted to control the discharging movement of the grain from the bin. Aventilator25 isalso preferably provided at the .upper end of the bin andmay be formed by cutting out portions 26 of the strips to form anaperture 27 in the side wall, mounting wings. 28 on the portions 26 cutfrom the side wall strips and hinging the ventilator in the opening.

A roof 30 may be mounted on the bin and end wall strips at the upper endof the bin may be tapered to provide for slanting of the roof.

Iii-using the invention for the illustrated purpose, the strips areprovided of uniform length having kerfs in their ends and kerfs in eachside adjacent the ends. A quantity of the strips may besupplied forconstructing an enclosure of any desired capacity. The first laid wallstrips are laid edgewise and are easily adjusted for registry of thekerfs of abutting strips, for example, end kerfs with side kerfs, toreceive the clamping members. A superimposed strip is easily andaccurately positioned on a laid strip by reason of the specified spacingand depth of the side kerfs of side wall strips and end kerfs of endwall strips, and vice versa.

The walls may be built up to any desired hei ht and will be relativelysecurely latched and retained to resist strains either from contents orfrom exterior influence.

A clamp may be driven into laterally registering kerfs of horizontallyadjacent strips as far as desired for a particular purpose or mode ofapplication, and preferably to provide for the projection of a portionof a clamp beyond an edge of the strip in which it is driven to engage avertically adjacent strip. A clamp may for example be driven through onestrip and into the kerf of a lower strip to connect the upper and lowerstrips.

In countersinking the clamp far enough so that a following clamp mayenter the upper strip, I prefer to limit the ex ent to which the clampis driven into a strip so that its upper end may project above saidstrip to receive a superimposed strip.

A bin may comprise a single unit formed of uniformly dimensionedmaterial in which the end edge of an end wall is in abutting relationwith the side surface of a side wall adjacent the end thereof.

It is apparent that an enclosure may be formed of any desired dimensionsby laying a suitable number of side and end wall strips for a firstiayer with ends of the strips in abutting relation for registry of kerfsto receive the clamps, the end walls of intermediate adjacent unitsthereby comprising partitions between the units. Other strips and layersare then superimposed as described.

A relatively stable and sealed bin may therefore be constructed withoutthe use of corner posts, studding, or any heavy members, and by boys orunskilled labor.

A structure erected as described may be dismantled with a relativelysmall amount of labor and substantially no damage or deterioratingeffect on the elements. Sections including one or more groups of stripscomprising layers of the structure may be stored or transported forre-erection elsewhere. The clamps while effectively latching the stripstogether when installed may be removed and the strips stored ortransported separately from the clamps.

W hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a bin ofthe character described, a side wall including a strip having a verticalkerf in a side surface perpendicular to said surface, an end wallincluding a strip having a kerf in its end registering with said sidewall kerf, and a clamp in said registering kerfs for binding said stripstogether and projecting vertically from said strips to engage in kerfsin similarly kerfed strips.

2. In a bin of the character described, strips forming side and endwalls and having registering kerfs in abutting portions perpendicular tothe surfaces of said walls, and including a pair of horizontallyabutting strips, a clamp in registering kerfs of said pair of strips tobind the strips together and having an end portion projecting verticallyfrom said pair of strips, and a second pair of horizontal abuttingstrips in edge abut-ting relation with said first named pair of stripsand having registering kerfs receiving said projecting end of the clamp3. In a bin of the character described, a side wall including a pair ofstrips, one superimposed upon the other, an end wall including a similarpair of strips positioned with their ends abutting the sides of the sidewall strips adjacent the ends of said side wall strips, the lower stripshaving registering kerfs including upper portions adapted to receive aclamp, and a clamp in said registering kerfs having wings embedded inthe walls of the kerfs to bind said lower strips together and projectingupwardly from the upper surfaces thereof, the upper adjacent stripshaving registering lrerfs aligned respectively with the kerfs inadjacent lower strips, said projecting end of the clamp being engaged insaid upper kerfs for enabling the clamp to latch said upper stripstogether and bind the upper strips to the lower strips.

4-. In combination with a side wall strip having a side lrerf and anendwall strip having an end kerf registering with the side kerf of saidside wall strip, side and end wall strips kerfed similarly to the firstnamed strips and mounted in edge abutting relation on said first namedstr'ps with lrerfs aligned with kerfs of lower strips, and a singlebinding member located in said kerfs to hold said strips in assembledrelation.

5. In a structure of the character described, a side wall including aplurality of series of horizontal aligned end-abutting strips havingregistering vertical kerfs in abutting end faces, and aligned verti allrerfs in adjacent side faces. means in registering end face kerfs forretaining aligned abutting strips in end abutting relation, a pluralityof transverse walls each including a series of strips having endsabutting in side faces of selected side wall strips and end face kerfsregistering with the side face lrerfs ofadjacent side wall strips toform vertical channels, and means in each of said channels securing thetransverse strips to the side wall strips and having portions extendinginto the channels of adjacent strips for securing adj acent series ofsaid strips together.

6. A bin including bottom and vertical walls comprising a plurality ofsimilarly formed strips each having identically formed kerfs rectangularin cross section in each end surface on the median line thereof and ineach side surface at right angles to the end kerfs and spaced from theend surfaces of the strips, 2. distance equal to the spacing of said endkerfs from the side surfaces of the strips for selective abutment ofstrip and registry of kerfs of abutting strips having registeringsurfaces to form aligned grooves in ed e abutting strips and closedchannels in end and side abutting strips and provide grooves havingparallel side walls and channels having parallel side walls and parallelend walls, and clamps, each comprising a web substantially less inthickness than the width of said kerfs and having width substantiallyequal to the distance between said channel end walls to move freely intosaid grooves and channels and pairs of wings on each longitudinal edgeof said clamp extending opposite ly therefrom a total distance greaterthan the width of said kerfs and having sharp edges embedded in the sidewalls of said kerfs to latch the clamp in said grooves and channels.

7. The me hod of constructing a grain bin or the like composed of stripshaving registrable grooves in the ends thereof, including arranging apair of strips in end to end abutting aligned relation to effectregistry of said grooves superimposing a second pair of similarlyarranged strips on the first named pair of strips with the grooves ofthe two pairs in ali nment, and inserting fastening means in saidaligned grooves to secure said strips together.

8. The method of constructing grain bins or the like composed of stripshaving grooved end faces and grooved side faces perpendicular to saidend faces, including arranging a pair of strips to effect abutment ofselected faces and registry of the grooves in said faces, arranging asecond pair of strips in the same relation to each other as the stripsof the first named pair, locating the strips of the second named pair inengagement with the similar strips of the first named pair to aligngrooves in similar strips, effecting engagement of a clamping nail insaid grooves to secure the strips of each pair together and secure thesecond named pair to the first named pair, and limiting the extension ofsaid nail in the grooves of the second named pair to leave portions ofsaid grooves free to receive a nail for attaching a third pair of stripsto the second named pair of strips.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES J. CARTER.

